A Teacher’s Guide to Teacher Appreciation – Awesome Ways to Honor Fellow Teachers

Building Morale at Your School

How do you contribute to a positive morale at your school?  This year our teachers are participating in a voluntary "Sunshine Buddy" program.  Interested teachers put their name in a hat and they are matched with a secret Buddy to have a Buddy and to be a Buddy. 

There are many ways to appreciate your fellow teachers.  There are literally thousands of candy gifts with clever gift tags.  (Who doesn’t love chocolate or candy?)  A  big fave where I live is to treat our buddy to a Sonic (drive-in restaurant) drink.  Here are some other less obvious choices for ways to honor your Sunshine Buddy. 

Share an activity

It’s Fall; time for everything pumpkin – pumpkin DQ blizzards, pumpkin creamer, even pumpkin ice cream!  As I was browsing in Pinterest, looking forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving, I came across an awesome idea for an activity for a new Thanksgiving pumpkin tradition.  It only requires a pumpkin, permanent marker,  and gratitude.

Wouldn’t this be a fun activity for a classroom?  Children 

tell what they are thankful for and it goes on the
Thanksgiving pumpkin.  To share it with my sunshine buddy, I just buy a pumpkin (we can get this size for $4) and add a permanent market and cute gift tag describing the activity.  Or to make a gift tag, just print this picture and attach it.  

It’s pretty self-explanatory.  If desired, you can direct your Sunshine Buddy to One Artsy Mama where your buddy can read all about this Thanksgiving tradition.

Share supplies

What supplies are already in short supply?  Post-it notes?  

Glue sticks?  Expo markers?  Look for volume sales and when you find a good price, while you’re picking up something for yourself, get a few extra for your sunshine buddy.  Looking for a cute way to package them?  If they are small enough, put them in a mason jar.  

Here is a blog post from theSpruceCrafts for 

21 sets of Free Canning Labels for your Jars!  

Check out this Glue Stick Teacher Gift Idea with a free printable gift tag: 

Make a craft

There are literally thousands of ideas on Pinterest for making Teacher Appreciation gifts for your Sunshine Buddy.  Sometimes just by viewing the ideas, you may come up with one of your own.  It can be as easy as this:

If your Sunshine Buddy has a  DonorsChoose project a 

donation is an awesome way to show some love.  When you go to DonorsChoose, you can search by zip code or by school to see if your buddy has a project for which funding is requested.  Another way is to contribute to a classroom library.  Have a book fair coming up?  Teachers often fill out a “wish list” during the book fair.  Sunshine buddies can access the wish list and treat their Sunshine Buddy for a classroom book that students will enjoy now and for years to come.  A third way is to purchase item(s) from a teacher’s Amazon Wish List (if they have one) or give an Amazon gift card.

Give your Sunshine Buddy a Break!

Is there a specific duty for which your Sunshine Buddy is responsible?  In a school setting everyone has extra duties they are responsible for – for some it’s morning duty, afternoon duty, recess duty, bathroom duty, and so forth.

Volunteer to take over your Sunshine Buddy’s duty.  Sometimes filling in for your Sunshine buddy can be more valuable than any kind of gift.  Have a Fall Carnival coming up?  Donate candy or other requested supplies on behalf of your Sunshine Buddy – Check!  Our school has a monthly potluck luncheon.  Bring a dish for your Sunshine Buddy and let your Sunshine Buddy know they can put their feet up and rest the night before the Potluck and then come the next day and enjoy the delicious food! 

There are many other ways to treat your Sunshine Buddy.  Next time you find yourself saying, “Wow!  I wish someone would do this for me,” consider if your Sunshine Buddy might be saying the same thing.  

What does your campus do to promote morale?  Please comment below.  THANKS!